


Big. Damn. Heros.

by MsGordo_Writings



Series: Bad Boys Do It Better [2]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22456663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsGordo_Writings/pseuds/MsGordo_Writings
Summary: Connor, Draco and Blaise suffer a sudden attack of Morals and Chivalry. Dawn, Ginny and Luna are frankly quite frightened.
Relationships: Connor (AtS)/Dawn Summers, Draco Malfoy/Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Blaise Zabini
Series: Bad Boys Do It Better [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615906
Kudos: 6





	Big. Damn. Heros.

**Author's Note:**

> This work belongs to MsGordo (https://archiveofourown.org/users/kipplemine/profile) and has been posted with her express permission in order to preserve it from Yahoo Groups. If I have missed any tags or warnings, please feel free to let me know.

Dawn Summers found she couldn’t take her eyes off the scene unfolding in front of her, so in the end she settled for leaning to one side and hissing out the side of her mouth, “*What* are they *doing*?”

Ginny Weasley shook her confused head and hissed back, “I have *no* idea.” She leaned away from Dawn and towards the girl on her other side. “Luna, do you know what’s happening?”

Luna Lovegood -- the last member of the most unlikely and effective evil fighting team of contemporary times -- squinted thoughtfully at the confused room before her. “Has Zabini always been that attractive?” Her eyes narrowed even further and her pert nose scrunched up in a way that a certain ex-Slytherin might be pressed into calling adorable if he had happened to be glancing her way. Which he wasn’t, so it was basically wasted on Luna’s two friends and fellow warriors. “I don’t seem to remember him having this effect on me at school.”

*That* was sufficient to drag Dawn’s eyes from the somewhat bewildering scene being played out before her and she stared at Luna silently for a moment before saying carefully, “I’m sorry, what?”

Luna kept her own eyes fixed on Blaise Zabini. “Really, I don’t remember him being quite so take charge and…well,” She licked her lips in contemplation as she stared at the tall black boy arguing with what appeared to be half the Order of the Phoenix and several high ranking member of the Ministry. “So *eye-catching*.”

Dawn eyeballed her friend for another moment before turning her incredulous gaze back on Zabini. “*Eye-catching*?”

Luna nodded and ignored the slightly alarming huffing sounds that Ginny was making as she wheezed in justifiable shock between her friends. “Really. He seems so much more…*present* now, doesn’t he? Quite…resplendent. And those long braids are *so* much more attractive than that rather boring close cut he had all through Hogwarts.”

Dawn looked desperately around the over-crowded room they were currently seated in. “Is there a doctor in the house? We need a reality check over here *stat*.” She quirked an eyebrow at Ginny who was still wheezing and now purple, adding considerately, “Oxygen too!”

Luna wrinkled her nose once more, this time in mild annoyance at Ginny’s reaction to her observation. “Well, it’s not like we weren’t all thinking it. In fact, the three of them really are quite…”

“*Nothing*!” Ginny finally managed to gulp enough air and pointed a shaky finger at Luna’s face as she gasped, “The three of them are *nothing*. We do not think of them like that, Luna, *ever*. They’re ev…”

“Kinda hot.” Dawn shrugged apologetically as Ginny glared at her. “Well, she’s got a point. They do got that whole bad boy ‘tude thing going on for them, and there’s been some serious time put in with some weights by the look of things.” She bit her lower lip and tilted her head in consideration. “I’m not saying that we should over look the whole across-the-board-sucky-personality-issues-thing, but…”

“EVIL!” Ginny’s yelp went unnoticed in the general mayhem of the room and she stared between her two best friends with mounting horror. “Are you two *drunk*? They’re evil and mean and bullies and…”

Luna sighed, flicked a glance at the cause of all the fuss and her blue eyes clouded with complete confusion as she caught the sound of an enraged American voice cutting through the din around them. “And they’ve just offered to go and kill the Dark Lord.”

Ginny spluttered into silence.

“Well,” Dawn’s eyebrows shot up as Ginny’s silence spread to the rest of the room. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

~*~*~*

Connor Angel stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a glare on his face as he watched the heavy door to his cell slam shut and then turned and flashed a wide grin as he bounced delightedly on his toes. “I think that went well. Don’t you think that went well?” The grin widened as his eyes twinkled mischievously. “Think they bought it?”

Draco Malfoy looked up from where he was morosely staring at the floor and glared. “Connor, not even I bought that load of old clap-trap and I was *saying* it.”

Blaise Zabini looked around from his casual perusal of their cell and scowled. “D’you know I don’t think they’re treating us with the proper respect here.” He waved an outraged hand at the one window allowing light into the small room. “Look at that! I don’t even need my wand to push that bloody frame out and I defy anyone not to be able to snap a leg off that cot and make a stake in under a minute.” He huffed out an annoyed breath. “We are bloody *criminals* here, don’t you think they should be just a little more worried about the possibility of escape?”

Draco eyed his friend askance and sighed heavily, “Right, Zabini, *one* more time. We are not criminals. We are intelligently far-sighted and forward planning individuals who -- for a multitude of reasons -- have carefully weighed and assessed their available options and have made the decision to offer their nearly invaluable skills and experiences to people who would best value them.”

“Right,” Connor nodded in firm agreement. “And you’re only criminals if you get caught, and no one’s managed to pin on us anything yet.” 

Blaise laughed as Draco closed his eyes with a pained sigh. “Don’t you just love that innocent until proven guilty thing the proud and noble have going for them? *So* many delicious loopholes to exploit.”

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and tried vainly to fight off the beginning of a migraine. “No, no, no! There will be no exploiting. *Or* escaping.” He released his nose and opened his eyes to look at his two companions sternly. “We’re the good guys now, remember?”

Connor and Blaise swapped unhappy looks. “Oh come on, Draco, just to keep our hand in as it were? Can’t let the old skills get rusty now, can we?”

Draco rolled his eyes at the wheedling of Blaise’s tone and reminded himself that he was just as effectively bound by the ‘good guy’ clause as his friends and hexing both of them into little frogs just to shut them up probably wouldn’t do much good to convince the Ministry that he’d really turned over a new leaf. “No. No sharpening of skills and no keeping our hands in.” He straightened his shoulders and gritted his teeth. “From now on we are as noble and heroic and as self-sacrificing as the next moon-eyed idiot in this place. Or else.”

“MALFOY, YOU BASTARD, I’M GOING TO CUT OFF EVERY EXTREMITY YOU HAVE AND FEED THEM TO HAGRID’S HIPPOGRIFF!” The door to the boys’ cell crashed open without warning and an enraged Ginny Weasley burst through it brandishing a wickedly sharp knife and a deadly expression. “YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!”

Connor winced at the pitch of her voice, but brightened up considerably at her emphatic statement. “Great!” He turned to Blaise and clarified hopefully, “So I just have to be as noble as she is, right?” He gestured at Ginny -- now closing in on Draco’s alarmed figure with a determined step and a slight tick in her jaw -- and bounced happily on his toes once more. “That doesn’t look so hard, I can do that.” 

Blaise’s attention was diverted by two more people darting into the increasingly cramped cell after Ginny and flinging themselves at her just in time to prevent Draco Malfoy being the last of his line and from singing soprano for the rest of his forcibly celibate life. “Ginny!” Dawn gritted her teeth and yanked the arm she had gripped between her hands with all her strength. “Ginny, this is *not* subtle interrogation!”

Luna grunted as she tugged Ginny back a vital two steps to allow Draco to dodge around them and make for relative safety of the avidly watching Blaise and Connor across the room. “I’m afraid it is.” She grunted again and then winced as she stumbled and inadvertently body-checked her friends against the stone wall. “She *wanted* to bring a machete.”

“BASTARD!” Ginny fought futilely against her friend’s grip. “LET ME *GO*!”

“Excellent!” Connor looked even more delighted. “So weapons *and* threats and bodily violence are allowed then?”

Draco dragged his shocked eyes away from where Ginny was still pinned against the wall by her swearing, grunting friends and frothing at the mouth in her eagerness to do him some permanent damage. “Will you bloody *focus*? She tried to *kill* me!” He pointed an accusing finger at Ginny’s purple face. “You’re meant to be one of the good guys.”

“I’M GOING TO *KILL* YOU!”

Dawn swore as Ginny threw herself forwards again and yelled over her shoulder at Draco, “Shut up, you’re not helping here!” She made an executive decision as Ginny managed to get in a painful kick to her shin and caught Luna’s slightly frenzied eye as she jerked her head to indicate the still open door. “Sanity break?”

Luna panted as she fought to contain Ginny’s struggles. “Yes!” She turned her towards the three boys standing watching them with vastly differing emotions. “Back in a moment.” She gave them a slightly pained smile as she and Dawn wrestled the apoplectic Ginny to the door. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

Blaise stepped forward with a charming smile. “Can we be of any assistance?”

“No, no,” Luna winced as Ginny gnashed her teeth and slammed an elbow back into her ribs. “We’re fine.” She yelped as a wild toss of Ginny’s head caught her jaw and had her seeing stars. “Thank you!”

Draco, Blaise and Connor watched in slightly nonplussed silence as the three girls staggered out the door and then Dawn appeared again moments later with a somewhat embarrassed smile before slamming the door shut and muffling the sounds of Ginny yelling at the top of her lungs exactly why Draco should be emasculated as soon as possible and how -- in excruciatingly painful detail -- she intended to accomplish this.

Connor stared at the door and then at Draco. “I like her. She’s got guts.”

Draco stared in dismay at the door and said faintly, “Yes, and if she has her way, they’ll be mine. Probably still steaming.”

Blaise continued to stare at the door intently and ignored his two friends. “Was it just me, or did Lovegood look astonishingly gorgeous today?” He turned away from the door as he felt two sets of incredulous eyes focus on him. “What? Just me then?”

~*~*~*

Some thirty minutes later the three girls re-entered the cell in a slightly more orderly fashion than before. Well, Ginny had been disarmed and was no longer shouting death threats at the top of her lungs anyway.

Blaise jumped up from the cot he was sitting on with his two friends and spread his arms in expansive welcome. “Ladies!”

“Oh piss off, Zabini.” Ginny glowered under her fringe of red hair and slouched against the wall just inside the door with her arms folded across her chest and a mutinous set to her mouth.

Blaise’s arms sagged and he looked slightly less enthusiastic. “Is that anyway to treat valuable guests?”

Dawn rolled her eyes and planted her feet firmly on the floor as she crossed her arms challengingly. “Yeah, right. Say it with me now, guys; pris-o-ners.”

Blaise looked vastly amused and copied her pose, but without the eye rolling. “You can’t take that which is freely given, Miss Summers. We came to you, remember?”

Draco peered uncertainly at Ginny who hadn’t taken her eyes off him since she had started to prop up the wall. “Does she still have that knife?”

“No,” Luna smiled fondly at Ginny and then reassuringly at Draco. “We had a little chat and Ginny’s very sorry for frightening you, aren’t you, Ginny?” Luna’s reassuring smile slipped a bit as Ginny remained obstinately silent and Draco paled dramatically and then the ex-Ravenclaw sighed reproachfully, “Ginny, *please*.”

Dawn grinned meanly at Draco’s worried face and offered helpfully, “She’s promised not to do anything to you until we have all the information we need.” She sniggered to herself as Draco swallowed heavily and then all humour drained from her face as she realised the third captive in the room had sidled up to her and was apparently sniffing her hair. “What the *hell* are you doing?”

Connor took one last sniff and then stuck out his hand just like Draco and Blaise had spent long hours teaching him to do correctly. “Hi, Connor Angel, I’m very pleased to meet you.”

Dawn looked down at his hand, back up into his expectant face and then backed up sharply. “What?”

Connor frowned at the wary look on her face and darted an uncertain look at his two friends. “Did I do it wrong?” He inspected his still outstretched hand carefully and decided that it seemed to be reasonably clean and non-threatening and tried again, taking care to speak slowly and clearly to negate the chances of further misunderstandings, “My name is Connor Angel, it’s very nice to meet you.”

Dawn shot a faintly panicked look at her own two friends -- both of whom were staring in bemusement at Connor’s hand -- and backed up another step. “No it’s not!”

Connor looked hurt and followed her with his hand still held out. “Yeah it is.” He smiled kindly at Dawn as she backed up again to fetch up against the wall and explained, “Now you shake my hand and tell me that it’s nice to meet me too.”

Ginny and Luna blinked uncertainly at Connor and then looked at Dawn for some clue as to how she was going to handle this decidedly bizarre turn of events. As a general rule the followers of Voldemort that they ran across didn’t habitually declare how nice it was to meet them. How nice it would be to *eat* them, sure, but the whole courtesy and small talk thing was considered a big no-no on the side of evil.

Dawn scowled and slapped at Connor’s hand. “You get that thing away from me right *now*.” She hissed in warning as Connor frowned in confusion and tried to shake her hand again. “I mean it, stop it right now!”

Connor looked over his shoulder at Draco and Blaise -- both looking as amused as the girls were looking unsettled -- and said plaintively, “You said being polite would help.” He waggled his hand accusingly. “See? This is me being polite, it’s not helping!”

Draco grinned and shrugged casually. “Maybe you’re not trying hard enough. Give her a bow.”

Dawn pressed harder against the wall as Connor turned to look at her speculatively. “She doesn’t look that kind of girl.” He eyed her up and down. “Besides, I bend over in front of her and something tells me she’ll just break my nose with her kneecap.” He smiled approvingly at Dawn’s speechless face. “I saw you pull that move on Marcus Flint a couple of months ago, it was *really* well done.”

Dawn stared at him bug-eyed and remained silent.

Connor frowned. “That was a compliment. You’re meant to say thank you and say something nice about me now.” He looked back over his shoulder at his two friends again. “That’s right, isn’t it? I say something nice about her and then she has to say something nice about me.” He nodded back at Dawn sagely. “It’s polite.”

Blaise smothered a chuckle that was only amused and in no way shape or form evil in *any* way and said encouragingly, “Absolutely right, Connor, well done.” He smiled genially at Dawn. “Perhaps something about his hair? Or his skin? Both are in *excellent* condition.”

Dawn, Ginny and Luna silently contemplated the excellent condition of Connor’s hair and skin and then at an unspoken signal abruptly broke ranks and headed for the exit looking decidedly rattled.

Connor watched the door slam shut behind them and listened to the key turn emphatically in the lock before turning to his two grinning buddies. “Now that was just *rude*.”

~*~*~*

“What the bloody hell did you do to my *sister*?” Connor, Draco and Blaise looked up as the door to their cell once more crashed open, but this time the redhead hurtling through it was somewhat less alluring than Ginny Weasley. “Well?” Ron stood with his wand outstretched and his hair crackling with rage as he glared at the three men before him. “What did you do to her?!”

“Weasel.” Draco cleared his throat and stood up to take the four paces necessary to bring him into Ron’s personal space. He raised one eyebrow at the wand trembling with fury under his nose and then with a moue of distaste gently pushed it aside with the tip of a reluctant finger and said, “I’d like to say it’s a pleasure but I’m told turning over a new leaf requires somewhat less flexibility with the truth than I am previously used to so unfortunately I’ll just have to settle for saying that I see you’re still alive.”

The unspoken ‘Dammit!’ nonetheless echoed loud and clear in the small room.

Connor leaned into Blaise’s side without taking his eyes off Draco and Ron and muttered, “How come that hair looks so good on his sister and on him it just looks kinda…”

“Repellent?” Blaise grinned and shrugged. “Just one of the many mysteries of creation that I fear will never be answered.” He looked past Ron and his face sobered. “Brace yourself, here comes the organ grinder come to get his monkey.”

Connor looked around and watched as a tallish, dark haired man wearing glasses and an almost constipated expression stalked through the door. “Huh. The guy-that-lived, right?”

“Right.” Blaise stood and strode forward with a welcoming smile, managing to completely ignore Ron and Draco still glaring into each other’s eyes in the centre of the room. “Potter.”

Harry stopped at his friend’s shoulder and nodded coldly. “Zabini.” He spared Draco a brief look and then focused back on Blaise. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Connor stuck his hand into the air and waved it enthusiastically. “Oh, I know!” He climbed off the cot and joined his two friends. “Because you’re the good guys and morally above that?” He crossed his arms and stared thoughtfully at his feet for a moment before looking back up and curling his lip in a sneer. “And also because I’m pretty sure I can rip off both your arms and beat you to death with them before you’ve even got a syllable of a spell out.” He squinted at Harry’s forehead. “Draco’s right, that scar is dumb looking, are you sure you aren’t drawing it on in crayon?”

Draco snorted a laugh and stepped hastily in front of Connor as Ron’s wand twitched to point at the American. “Now, now, Weasel; let’s just think about this, shall we?”

Ron ground his teeth and flushed a brilliant scarlet. “Shut up, Malfoy, and get out of my way. I’m not going to let some bastard minion speak about Harry like that.” He ground his teeth some more when Draco refused to step out of the way and yelled, “What the sodding hell do you care, anyway? He’s a muggle, right? I thought they were all beneath your high and mighty pureblood arse.”

Connor leaned around Draco’s shoulder and stared reprovingly at Ron. “Hey, I can see you’re pretty pissed about the whole dark side thing, but making cracks about his personal life is out of bounds, okay?” The reproving look morphed into a scowl. “And who are you calling a minion, buddy?”

Ron mouthed the words ‘personal life’ to himself and then stepped back from Draco smartly with a look of pure revulsion. “You’re…you and the muggle are…”

Draco squinted. “What?”

The wand wavered between Connor and the confused Draco. “You two…you’re…”

“Comrades-in-arms? Heroic self-sacrificers who put the well-being of the many above their own safety and security?” Blaise, enjoying himself immensely, grinned at Ron’s scandalised expression. “You know how it is, Weasel. Normal barriers and restraints are often worn down by the heat of battle. Taboos are shattered, hearts burst asunder beneath the weight of sheer emotion…it’s very romantic.” He leered. “Now come here, darling, and give me a kiss.”

“Bloody HELL!” Ron stumbled backwards frantically and looked like he was going to be sick as Draco thumped Blaise in outrage and Connor started to laugh. “That’s…that’s *disgusting*!”

Draco looked wounded. “Steady on there…oh, wait, you mean Blaise?” He smirked at his friend and rocked back smugly on his heels. “I agree. Completely disgusting.”

Connor leaned back and looked down at the back of Blaise’s robes in consideration. “But he does have a nice ass.” He leaned forwards again and his hands crept behind himself for a surreptitious squeeze. “Although it’s not as pert and well-muscled as mine.”

Blaise sighed forlornly and enjoyed immensely the tick in Harry’s jaw. “Sadly this is true.” He winked at Ron and stage-whispered, “I’ve caught him flexing and squeezing around a wand many a time.” He gave Connor a ridiculously over exaggerated leer. “Although unhappily not my own.”

“*Harry*!” Ron’s frightened squeak had his friend glowering at the three smirking not-so-evil-doers and the tick in his jaw become more pronounced. “Harry, make them *stop*.”

“Pack it in, Zabini.” Ignoring his own disquiet at the rather disturbing mental images rattling around in his over-inflated (in Draco and Blaise’s opinion) head, Harry folded his arms and glared intimidatingly at his prisoners. “Just tell us what you did to the girls and why you’re here and then we’ll get moving with shipping you off to Azkaban and leaving you to rot for the rest of your miserable little lives.”

Connor snorted and carried on looking blithely unintimidated. “Yeah, *that’s* gonna happen.” He paused for a moment and then said warily, “And what do you mean about what we did to the girls? We didn’t do anything to them, right guys?”

“Correct.” Blaise glanced away from where he was having a grand old time fluttering his eyelashes at an increasingly worried looking Ron and treated Harry to the look of injured innocence that he’d spent the last twenty odd years perfecting. “I can assure you that they were treated with the utmost respect and courtesy during their all too brief visit with us.”

Draco raised a pointed eyebrow. “Unlike ourselves.” He sniffed delicately. “I really don’t think the littlest Weasel should be allowed near any sharp objects until she’s undergone a *very* involved psychological evaluation at St Mungos. And possibly been put under some kind of sedative charm. You might consider a full body bind on her more excitable days.” He drifted off into a brief, happy fantasy of Ginny Weasley wearing quite a lot less than the last time he’d seen her and in a full body bind. “Actually…” Draco smiled dreamily, “You might consider making that a permanent arrangement.”

For perhaps the first time ever Harry was profoundly grateful that Ron wasn’t as adept at reading people as himself and Hermione and instead of beating Draco briskly about the head with his fist at the blatant leer regarding his sister he just remained firmly out of reach of any lusty Slytherin embraces and scowled in confusion. Blaise and Connor grinned at each other as Draco’s eyes glazed over and then smirked at Harry when he glowered at them. Harry gritted his teeth and spat, “What. Do. You. Want.”

Connor’s smirk widened and he replied promptly, “World peace. Equal rights for all those we think worthy of them. A small percentage of any profits gained by the wizard Ministry seizing control of Voldemort’s assets after we kill him.” He winked at Harry. “And world peace.”

Harry gritted his teeth harder. “You already said that.”

Connor’s eyes twinkled mockingly. “It’s a cause near and dear to my heart. Really.”

“Speaking of hearts,” Blaise, never one to give up on a good torture session without good reason, leered dreadfully at Ron and said huskily, “My personal wish list also includes finding true love wherever it may be hiding and giving it a damn good roger…”

“HARRY!”

The-Boy-Who-Lived closed his eyes wearily at Ron’s terrified yelp and then opened them to glare darkly at his three adversaries. “I’m recommending that you three are taken away from here as soon as possible and thrown into the darkest sodding dungeon we have. Whatever you’re selling, we’re not buying.”

“What a shame,” Blaise practically purred the words as he watched Harry stalk to -- and Ron fall through -- the door. “I’m told we’re worth every penny.” His only answer was a violent slam of their cell door and he burst out laughing. “Great Slytherin, these people are ridiculously easy to discomfort. Give them a bona fide evil doer in all their dark glory and they’ll quite happily face them down with nothing but the fire in their innocent and pure hearts and the knowledge they have right on their side. *One* little mention of getting sweaty and sticky for a far more pleasurable reason and…” He broke off with a frown as he realised Draco was still staring vacantly into the distance and wearing a wide, soppy grin. “Draco?”

Connor screwed up his nose in distaste. “Ew, is he *drooling*?”

Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. “You can take the evil out of the man but unfortunately the inner-pervert will always remain.” He raised his other hand and snapped his fingers briskly under Draco’s oblivious nose. “Malfoy? *Malfoy*!”

Draco jerked and his mental image of Ginny melted away just as he was getting to the part where all her clothes were mysteriously falling off her body and she lay bound and helpless on his bed wearing nothing but a smile and a come hither look in her wide…smoky…

Blaise sighed again as Draco’s eyes abruptly lost focus once more. “Good grief. *MALFOY*!”

~*~*~*

For the third time that day the door to the cell opened and as far as Draco was concerned the day finally hit rock bottom. “Oh come *on*! Haven’t we suffered enough?”

Hermione Granger arched an unimpressed eyebrow and walked sedately into the room, closing the door quietly behind her before taking up position facing the three men on the bed with her arms folded and a watchful look on her face. “Nice to see you too, Malfoy.” She glanced around the small room and then nodded politely at Connor. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Draco rolled his eyes and waved a casual hand between Hermione and Connor. “Filthy Mudblood, The Destroyer. The Destroyer, Filthy Mudblood.”

Hermione offered Connor a cool smile and her hand. “You can call me Hermione for short.”

Connor jumped off the bed and enthusiastically shook Hermione’s hand in his, delighted to show off his newly acquired social skills to someone who looked like they’d actually appreciate them for a change. “Connor. Great to meet you.”

“Um, yes.” Looking faintly disconcerted, but nowhere near as rattled as her predecessors, Hermione allowed Connor to pump her hand up and down for a few more moments before trying to disengage. “I’m sorry; my hand?”

“Hmm?” Connor looked confused for a moment before he looked down and realised he still had Hermione’s hand clutched in his. “Oh sorry!” He let go hastily and gave her a sheepish smile. “I get carried away sometimes. I didn’t bruise you, did I? I don’t really know my own strength.”

Looking at least as confused as Connor, Hermione looked down at her hand and then back up into his ludicrously friendly eyes. “No, I’m fine.” She shifted uncomfortably as he continued to beam at her and then smiled uncertainly. “Please, sit back down.”

Draco rolled his eyes as Connor obediently backed up and dropped back down onto the bed. “Now ask him to bark and roll over.” He blinked as Hermione’s uncertain smile stretched into one of genuine amusement. “Granger, how very unlike you to display a modicum of humour.”

Hermione’s smile stretched wider and she indicated the cell with a wide sweep of her hand. “Oh I don’t know, Malfoy, there’s definitely something about this particular situation that appeals to me. So,” She brought her hand back into her body and re-folded her arms with a polite look of enquiry. “How have you been keeping?”

“Fine thank you.” Draco’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Yourself?”

This time the only word that adequately described the smile on Hermione’s face was ‘unholy’. “Well, the day certainly started out quietly, but I found myself remarkably entertained by the sight of Ron and Harry bursting in on Professor Dumbledore and some other extremely important members of the war council demanding that you three be locked up, killed and dismembered *immediately* because, and I quote, ‘they’re ruddy great perverts and Zabini wants to shag us!’.” Hermione shook her head as the three men before all tried to look at her in bewildered innocence and said dryly, “I should point out that they weren’t bothered about which order the dismembering, killing and locking up should happen.”

Blaise widened his eyes appealing. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I see.” Still sporting the unholy grin, Hermione fetched the lone chair in the room and made herself comfortable before cocking her head and eyeing the three with a jaundiced look. “And I suppose you have no idea why Dawn, Ginny and Luna have locked themselves in their apartments and appear to be having a furious argument about whether it’s possible for the Dark Lord to have come up with a new and ingenious way of killing our soldiers with handshakes and excruciating social etiquette?”

Blaise batted his incredibly appealing eyes and said cheerfully, “Haven’t a clue.”

Draco got in on the appealing eyes act. “You *are* a suspicious bunch, aren’t you?”

“I did do it wrong, didn’t I?” Connor stared down in consternation at his hand and then blinked mournfully up at Hermione, unconsciously succeeding where his two possibly-evil brethren had failed. “I thought I got everything in the right order, but I must have done it wrong.” He leaned forward and fixed the amused girl with an earnest look. “Was it the sniffing? People keep telling me that I should be a little sneakier about it.”

“Yes, probably.” Hermione favoured Connor with a pleasant smile and then her expression hardened as she looked at Blaise and Draco. “Okay, time to cut to the bone. Despite the less than favourable reactions to your apparent switch of loyalties I think there’s a chance you might possible be sincere in your desire to help defeat the Dark Lord. I’d like you all to agree to cross-examination under the influence of Veritaserum as to your intentions and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

Blaise leaned back comfortably against the wall and looked the cool, collected witch before him over with a calculating expression. “And if we don’t meet whatever criteria you’ve set to determine our loyalties?”

Hermione shrugged. “Then to Azkaban you shall go.” She flashed a brief, wintery smile. “Although you have my personal word that you’ll reach the prison with all your limbs still attached. And still breathing.”

Connor looked deeply wounded. “Hey, what’s with the threats? We’re here aren’t we? We’re good guys now. *Honest*.”

Looking at him rather like she would a particularly winsome puppy, Hermione smiled more warmly. “I’m sure you are, but it never hurts to be sure now, does it?” The smiled chilled once more as she looked at Draco and Blaise. “I’m prepared to hear you out with an open mind and forget all about the fact that I know you two are complete and utter unpleasant bastards with all the charm of the average piece of faeces, if you are prepared to trust my word that you will be given a fair hearing and that you will be treated with the honour and respect due to you if you are proven to be truthful in your intentions towards us.”

Draco eyed her narrowly and magnanimously overlooked the bastard comment. “Fair enough.” He glanced quickly at Blaise and waited for an almost unnoticeable nod of acknowledgment before continuing, “We have conditions of our own however.”

Hermione settled back against the chair and nodded, unsurprised. “I thought you might do. Okay, let’s hear them.”

“Just two.” Draco purposefully kept his face a careful blank as he said coolly, “One, you’re the person that administers the serum and conducts our interrogations. Somehow I’m not quite as confident as I was of your colleagues being as…open-minded…as yourself.”

A brief flicker of surprise showed in Hermione’s eyes. “That can be arranged. Your second condition?”

Draco nodded. “When we pass your tests -- and we *will* -- there are only three of your number that we agree to work with to bring our plans to fruition.”

Hermione felt the first stirrings of unease in her stomach as Connor and Blaise both adopted Draco’s blank expression and tensed noticeably. “Go on.”

“We want Summers, the girl Weasley and Lovegood.” Draco stared at Hermione with unreadable eyes as she frowned and swallowed slowly. “If we don’t get them the deal’s off.”

“What? No!” Hermione stared at him in bewildered apprehension. “They won’t agree.”

Draco shrugged and stood up. “They don’t have a choice, the point is non-negotiable.” He held out his hand. “Do we have a deal?” He smiled coldly as Hermione looked between his hand and his face with suddenly wary eyes. “Come on, Granger, it’s not that much of a difficult decision, is it? Three warriors for good working with three soon-to-be-proven one hundred percent loyal and *innocent* men who are prepared to give their lives to see Lord Voldemort eradicated from the face of the earth.”

The silence stretched as Hermione continued to stare searchingly into his eyes and then she stood and clasped his hand in hers hastily, her face almost completely drained of colour. “Deal.” They shook and then both let go to wipe their hands surreptitiously on their robes. Hermione sighed heavily and pushed her long hair back from her face with a shaky sigh. “They’re going to kill me.”

“I highly doubt it,” Draco sank gloomily onto the bed once more. “I rather think Ginny will be far to busy trying to kill *me* to worry about you.”

Hermione looked confused once more. “Then I don’t understand. Why do you want to work with her so badly?” She made a helpless gesture with her hands to indicate Connor and Blaise. “Why do *any* of you want to work with them? It’s going to be almost impossible to persuade them to do this no matter what the eventual rewards; they’re going to make your lives hell. Why *them*?”

Blaise smiled and said simply, “They’re the best.” The smile stretched wolfishly and Hermione gulped at the triumphant gleam in his eyes. “And we refuse to settle for anything less.”


End file.
